The Dualists

The “R&B thug” is the evolved (or devolved, depending on your point of view) manifestation of another, more celebrated struggle of opposites in soul music. R&B is grown-up, refined, rooted in tradition and familiarity. The thug is wild, dangerous and unpredictable. The same basic formula applies to the uneasy union of sacred and profane that defines the music of men like Marvin Gaye, Prince and Donny Hathaway. And Al Green. On Chocolate, Kelly bows at the shrine of Green with “You Made Me Love You,” a bluesy, grinding number with simmering keyboards (courtesy of Rodney East) and an opening guitar riff that’s an abridged clone of the one jump-starting Green’s classic “Love & Happiness.”

Four Al Green albums recorded for Hi Records between 1968 and 1973 — Green Is Blues, Gets Next to You, Let’s Stay Together and I’m Still in Love With You — have just been re-released (digitally remastered, bonus tracks, etc.), and they serve as a reminder that he is one of the premier soul singers of all time. The fragility, loveliness and ache in his voice — longing that is both carnal and spiritual, with no need to differentiate between the two — brings tears to your eyes. Also made crystal clear is the brilliance of producer Willie Mitchell, who grew with (or melted into) Green to create a dazzling single entity. They were helped, of course, by an amazing band: guitarist Teenie Hodges, bassist Leroy Hodges, organist Charles Hodges, and drummers Al Jackson and Howard Grimes. Working in a grimy old converted theater, this unit created elegant, haunting, sexy jazz/gospel/country/blues — a timeless flow of emotion both abstract and specific. Anchored in the stuff of everyday life (love, heartbreak, disappointment and those glimmers of happiness), the music they made transcends genre and language by acknowledging and capturing those aches and triumphs that echo in the deepest parts of ourselves. It’s the very definition of soul music.

R. KELLY| The Chocolate Factory | (Jive)

AL GREEN| classic reissues | (Hi)